Religious Studies

The history evidences: the Local Churches that were historically associated with earthly empires were uninterested in the canonical establishment of local churches under their jurisdictions, and therefore usually granted autocephaly to churches only under the pressure of historic circumstances. No exception is the Moscow Patriarchate, which has incorporated the Orthodox Church in Ukraine since 1686.

Ukrainian Orthodoxy and Ukrainian society suffer from division. The majority of Ukrainian Orthodox believers belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. The rest of the Orthodox community of Ukraine has chosen a different path of self-proclaimed autocephaly. However, neither the first nor the second path is optimal for the Orthodox Church in Ukraine to date.

His Holiness Patriarch of Kyiv and All Ukraine to make official visit to the United States

On Friday, November 8, 2013 the leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church- Kyivan Patriarchate, His Holiness Patriarch Filaret of Kyiv and All Ukraine will arrive for a two week visit to the United States of America.

Patriarch Filaret is the leader of the third largest group of Orthodox faithful in the world with over 15 million believers. The Patriarch’s visit will begin with his arrival at JFK International Airport in New York. His Holiness will make archpastoral visits to parishes in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut on November 9 and 10. On Monday Nov 11, His Holiness the Patriarch of Kyiv and All Ukraine will fly to Washington D.C for official meetings with congressional leaders, senate members and State Dept. officials. He will arrive on Thursday Nov. 14 at Chicago’s O’Hare International airport where he will be greeted by official members of Ukraine’s Consulate in Chicago. He will be spending the following five days in Bloomingdale, Illinois at St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, the center for The Kyiv Patriarchate in The Unites States of America.

In addition His Holiness is concerned and will speak on topics including: the Orthodox Christians in Syria, same sex marriage, religious tolerance and basic human freedoms violations.

The Patriarch will preside over Ecumenical services at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral saturday, November 16 at 1:00 p.m. for the 80th anniversary memorial services for the over 10 million Ukrainians starved by the Soviet regime in Stalin’s forced genocide famine of 1932-33.

His Holiness Patriarch Filaret will also participate in the official celebrations surrounding the 1025th Anniversary of The Baptism Of Ukraine into the Christian faith in the year 988. A concert featuring the Canadian Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the church auditorium at St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral.

On Sunday November 16 at 9:00 am, His Holiness Filaret The Patriarch of Kyiv and All Ukraine will preside over the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Bloomingdale, IL. A Banquet in his honor at St. Andrew Ukrainian Cultural Center, Bloomingdale, IL will be held at 1:30 pm. On Monday His Holiness will preside over The Clergy Conference of The Kyivan Patriarchate with visiting clergy from across the US and Canada.